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First Committee: Draft Resolution on Arms Trade Treaty

Nov 7, 2012

Draft resolution on "General and complete disarmament: towards an arms trade treaty: establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms" as adopted by the General Assembly's First Committee (157:0:18)

The General Assembly,

Guided by the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming its respect for and commitment to international law,

Recalling its resolutions 46/36 L of 9 December 1991, 51/45 N of 10 December 1996, 51/47 B of 10 December 1996, 56/24 V of 24 December 2001, 60/69 and 60/82 of 8 December 2005, 61/89 of 6 December 2006, 63/240 of 24 December 2008 and 64/48 of 2 December 2009, and its decision 66/518 of 2 December 2011,

Expressingdisappointment that the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty convened from 2 to 27 July 2012 was unable to conclude its work to elaborate a legally binding instrument on the highest possible common international standards for the international transfer of conventional arms,

Noting that the draft text of the Arms Trade Treaty submitted by the President on 26 July 2012 contained in document A/CONF.217/CRP.1 reflects progress in the negotiations, while being mindful of requests by some States for further time to consider that document,

Determined to build on the progress made to date towards the adoption of a strong, balanced and effective Arms Trade Treaty,

1.Notes the report of the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty as contained in document A/CONF.217/4;

2.Decides to convene in New York from 18 to 28 March 2013 the Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, to be governed by the rules of procedure adopted on 3 July 2012 and contained in document A/CONF.217/L.1, in order to finalize the elaboration of the Arms Trade Treaty, in an open and transparent manner, utilizing the modalities, applied mutatis mutandis, under which the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty of 2 to 27 July 2012 operated;

3.Also decides that the draft text of the Arms Trade Treaty submitted by the President of the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty on 26 July 2012 contained in document A/CONF.217/CRP.1 shall be the basis for future work on the Arms Trade Treaty, without prejudice to the right of delegations to put forward additional proposals on that text;

4.Requests the Secretary-General to undertake consultations for the nomination of the President-designate of the Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty;

5.Requests the President-designate to undertake consultations on the basis of the draft text of the Arms Trade Treaty submitted by the President of the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty on 26 July 2012 contained in document A/CONF.217/CRP.1, prior to the Conference in 2013;

6.Requests the Secretary-General to render the Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty all necessary assistance, including the provision of essential background information and relevant documents, bearing in mind those made available to the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty of 2 to 27 July 2012;

7.Decides to remain seized of the matter during its current session and in doing so calls on the President of the Conference to report on the outcome of the Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty to the General Assembly at a meeting to be held as soon as possible after 28 March 2013;

8.Alsodecides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-eighth session an item entitled “The arms trade treaty”.